Church Business
by CheerfulChemist
Summary: Castle and Beckett search for a killer and a wedding venue. A church leader is dead in Manhattan but the trail leads to the town of Phaedra in upstate New York. Rick and Kate find a lovely B & B and look at both suspects and beautiful places. This story is slightly AU and follows from my others. It takes place after Deep Cover. I own nothing. Follow me on twitter @CheerfulChemist
1. Chapter 1

Church Business

Chapter 1

Kate just wanted to stay where she was. After hours tramping from wedding venue to wedding venue before being caught in a downpour that left them soaked to the skin, she and Rick had just fallen into bed. It was not the romantic experience she had envisioned. Now, snuggling under a down comforter and warmed by the heat of his body, the idea of movement seemed unacceptable. Feeling his broad chest against her back, she willed the alarm not to buzz.

Rick felt Kate stir. "Awake?" he asked.

"Not by choice," Kate answered. "There's not much time to go back to sleep though."

"Is there time for this?" Rick asked, kissing her neck.

Kate turned toward him. "I don't hear an alarm," she said.

"Maybe I can make you hear bells," Rick suggested, blowing gently into Kate's ear.

Kate gasped, threading her fingers into Ricks hair. Their lips met hard and they drank deeply of each other. Knowing a deadline loomed, they moved swiftly, stroking each other to readiness. As they came together, a buzzing filled the room, but there was no stopping. They worked their way to the peak, taking each other higher with touch and taste. The pinnacle reached and passed, they rested briefly until Kate silenced the din. With hasty showers and a hastier breakfast, Beckett and Castle just made the beginning of shift.

The body lay on the floor of the office, blood staining the wood. When Glen Warren's assistant, Rita Weller found him, she wanted to pray for him, but the words wouldn't come. Unable to call upon God, she called 911.

"Got a fresh one," Ryan announced, waving a post-it between his fingers. "Regional offices of the Church of Disciples of Abundant Joy, Madison and 31st." Esposito, Beckett, and Castle followed him out. They found Rita Weller red eyed and shakily clutching a bible. The uniforms had secured the scene and Lanie Parrish bent over the body. While Ryan took Rita's statement and Esposito talked to the uniformed officers, Beckett and Castle joined the M.E..

"What have we got, Lanie?" Beckett asked.

"Looks like blunt force trauma to the head," Lanie answered, pointing to a heavy brass cross that lay on the floor, "with that."

"Do we have a time of death?" Beckett asked

"Last night some time. I'll know better when I get him to the lab."

Ryan approached Beckett. "Got some information on next of kin. There's a wife, Lois Warren. The assistant gave me her address. Ryan handed Beckett a slip of paper from his notebook.

It was the part of the job that Beckett hated so much and did so well. She and Castle sat down with Lois Warren in her East Village apartment.

Lois daubed at her eyes with a rapidly shredding tissue. "I knew something was wrong when Glen wasn't here this morning. I'm a nurse, I work weekend nights at the hospital. He always has breakfast waiting for me when I get in."

"Mrs. Warren," Beckett said. "I'm so sorry to have to ask you questions at a time like this, but was there anyone who might have wanted to hurt your husband?"

"From what Glen told me, there may have been quite a few. He was helping one of the churches upstate with a project. Some of the local landowners were very upset about it. I don't know who they were, but his assistant, Rita, might. She keeps all his files."

Three days earlier:

The pews of the church were full in the Phaedra Church of the Disciples of Abundant Joy, known by the congregation as "AJ." A sleepy little town in the Finger Lakes region of New York, Phaedra did not usually see this much action, but tonight it was the scene of considerable agitation. AJ was in the process of deciding whether to let Perks Oil drill fracked oil and gas wells on their property that would reach horizontally under surrounding homes. The pastor, John Lumby, a man of good conscience, had called a meeting for the residents of the surrounding area to both gain information on the proposed project and give their input on the matter. There were several camps present. One was comprised of church members who were opposed to any fracking from an environmental standpoint on moral grounds. Another was a group of property owners worried about noise, vibration, toxic spills and property values. The third camp was led by AJ's trustees. They saw the project as an opportunity to gain money for church ministries. They had arranged for speakers from Perks, as well as a local councilman to come to the meeting and dominate the presentations. The point man for the trustee group was Regional Representative Glen Warren, accompanied by his well rendered power point slides.

The land agent from Perks, Sandy Sawyer, who had knocked on all the doors in the neighborhood to get people to sign on, spoke first, receiving thunderous looks from several local residents. He was followed by Councilman Jack Crosby and finally Perks' geologist Jerry Joiner.

When a microphone was finally passed around the audience, one after another, there were complaints that Sandy Sawyer had misrepresented the project. They insisted that they had been told that the wells would be dug at a much greater distance, not on nearby church property. Some had signed on to the deal and wanted to know if their signatures could be removed. Sandy Sawyer responded that the change in the project had been to help the church, an excuse that might have been plausible had not one member of the church asked the best question of the night. Larnie Fox, a retired engineer asked how much money Perks would save by moving the wells from their original proposed location to church grounds. He got an honest answer from Jerry Joiner. It would be in excess of $200,000. With Perks' real motivation for the change suddenly exposed, Glen Warren tried to save the night with a speech about all the inherent risks of life and all the good things the church could do with the money. He didn't change many minds.

Beckett and Castle went through the records provided by Rita Weller. No specific suspects stood out, but the center of conflict was several hours drive from the city. Before planning a road trip, Beckett and Castle dropped in on Lanie at the morgue for update. Lanie noticed that Kate had her hand in Rick's back pocket as they were walking in. "You two are so cute!" she exclaimed.

Beckett suppressed a smile. "Just give me the time of death, Lanie."

"TOD was between eleven and one last night. We confirmed that the cross was the murder weapon. It had the victim's blood on it. It looks like whoever swung it did it multiple times. He had defensive wounds on his arms. And our killer was shorter that our victim, the wounds were aimed upwards."

"That wouldn't be surprising, would it?" Castle asked. "Warren looked pretty tall."

"By my measurement, six four," Lainie replied. "That would make him taller than most of the population, even you, Castle."

"You don't have to remind me of my shortcomings, Lanie," Castle quipped. He inclined his head at Beckett. "That's her job."

"I don't have any problem with your size, Castle," Beckett replied, bumping up against him.

Lanie smiled and shook her head. "That's enough, you two."

Beckett returned to her detective persona. "Were there any fingerprints on the murder weapon?"

"No. It had been wiped, not enough to remove all the blood, but there were no prints.

"Castle, I think we need to go to Phaedra," Beckett said.

"You know," Castle told her, "I haven't really seen the country in that area, but I hear that it's beautiful. In September the leaves are supposed to be spectacular. We might think about it as a place for a wedding or maybe even part of our honeymoon, put the trip to good use."

"That's not a bad idea."

With some help from his phone, Castle found Hearths, a bed and breakfast not far from Phaedra. It was quite late when they arrived and they decided to settle in and pursue the investigation in the morning. The origin of the name of the B & B was obvious. Each room had a large hearth in front of a wood burning fireplace. The rooms were cozy with beautiful but subtly insulated drapes and large inviting beds covered in handmade quilts.

Standing in the doorway of their facilities, Kate gazed at the large claw foot tub and felt right at home. "Want to grab a bath now?" Rick asked, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "We brought your bubbles."

"No," Kate answered, "if I do that after our drive, I'd probably just fall asleep."

"You don't want to sleep?" Rick asked.

Kate turned in the circle of his arms, wrapping hers around him as well. Hazel eyes met sapphire. "Later." she whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The bed was strange and the person who should have been next to her was gone. Kate sat up, pulling a quilt around her in the chilly air to see Rick crouching on the hearth laying a fire. The room had come stocked both with logs and resinous Fatwood kindling. The Fatwood flared quickly as it caught, putting out out an immediate burst of heat, but the logs were stubborn and Rick was using the fireplace tools to shift them around. Finally successful, he jumped back under the quilts to snuggle with Kate. "They certainly keep the thermostat turned down here," Rick commented.

"I read something about the price of heating oil being higher than gasoline," Kate said. "Romantic as the fireplaces are, I think getting the logs from their own woods probably saves money. Actually, I kind of like the idea of using a log to start a fire."

"Good," Rick murmured, drawing her against him. "So do I."

They were careful at first, not wanting to lose the warmth afforded by the quilts, but as the blaze beyond the hearth gathered strength, their own conflagration did as well. Coverings were kicked loose as searching fingers tangled in silky hair and lips met heated skin. They could feel the sparks coursing through their bodies from the friction of their joining. When the inferno was finally damped by its own explosion, they lay in the glow, dancing flames reflected in their eyes.

After a sumptuous breakfast of waffles, complete with locally produced maple syrup, Beckett and Castle set out for what seemed to be the epicenter of bad feelings toward Glen Warren, The Church of Disciples of Abundant Joy. Beckett's face lit up as they approached. The church looked like something out of a movie. It had clapboard sides and a bell tower topped by a steeple. The grounds, although brown with winter cold would morph into wide expanses of green with the coming of spring. She could imagine the surrounding woods ablaze with color in their chosen wedding month of September and a large Oak not far from the church building would provide a beautiful canopy for an outdoor ceremony.

Castle seemed to be similarly taken with the surroundings and reached for Beckett's hand as they mounted the stairs to the building. Pastor John Lumby met with them in his study. He was tall, with glasses and a mostly receded hairline. Rather than a clerical collar, he wore sweats.

"Pastor," Beckett began.

"Just call me John," Lumby interrupted, "everyone does."

"John," she began again, "in our investigation of Glen Warren's murder, we have been led to believe that their were people either in your church or living around it, that were upset with him over an oil drilling project."

"That is true," John replied. "People here had some very strong feelings and since he was the chief advocate for the project, many directed those feelings at Glen."

"Could you give us an idea of who those people might be?" Beckett asked.

"I don't feel comfortable pointing fingers," Lumby told her. "I really have no way of knowing what is anyone's heart, but there was a sign in sheet for the public meeting we had to discuss the project. It has names, addresses and phone numbers on it. I can give you a copy. You can talk to the people on it and draw your own conclusions. You might want to start with the ones living closest to the church. They have the strongest emotional investment."

"We'd appreciate that, John," Beckett told him.

From long experience, Lumby could tell that Castle had something on the tip of his tongue. "Mr. Castle," he asked, "did you have a question?"

"Not about the case," Castle answered. "Do you perform marriages here?"

"Quite a few," Lumby answered with a smile. "Why do you ask?"

"Kate – Detective Beckett and I are engaged. We want to get married in September."

Lumby's smile expanded. "Congratulations. I need to tell you that our marriages are mostly local. Membership in the church isn't required, but we do require ten weeks of premarital counseling before the wedding. That would be quite a haul for you two from the city."

"Do you Skype?" Castle asked.

"Lumby looked thoughtful. "I never thought about it, but it is a possibility. Give me a call if you think that's the direction you want to go in."

Lumby asked the church secretary to make Beckett a copy of the sign in sheet and Beckett gave him her card with a request to call if he thought of anything relevant. Lumby told Beckett and Castle to feel free to call him, for any reason, and shook their hands before they left.

After he and Beckett returned to the car, Castle used his phone to map out the addresses on the list. There were five within a five minute drive and the duo set out to start their series of interviews. The first visit was to Patty Murphy. She was a feisty woman in her fifties with hair still carefully dyed blond. She was also an avid reader of Castle's novels and excitedly invited them in and insisted on serving coffee.

"Mr. Castle, Detective Beckett, I've read so much about the two of you solving crimes together. I can't say that I'll shed any tears over Glen Warren. That project of his could really tear up the roads around here and they're bad enough already, but I'm glad to do anything I can to help the two of you."

"Mrs. Murphy," Beckett asked. "Do you ever get into New York City?"

Patty gave a wry laugh. "I wish. I'd love to see a play or two or maybe," she said, looking at Castle, "go to a book signing, but I have too much to do around here. I raise several different kinds of produce, all on different schedules. What isn't in the ground, is in my greenhouse. I can't be gone more than a few hours. I order almost everything, including your books," she said looking at Castle again, "online."

Castle took the hint. "Mrs. Murphy..."

"Patty."

"Patty, I would be very happy to sign your books before we go. Do you know if any of your neighbors get to New York?"

"Joelle, Joelle Sullivan. She sells to some fancy restaurants there, so she goes in to arrange deals. Parley Safer, he goes to protests sometimes. That man does love to yell. Buddy Palfry visits his mother there. He never stops talking about her. There may be some others that I don't know about. I don't get that much time for socializing." Patty turned her eyes on Castle once again.

"Thank you very much, Patty," Beckett said. "You've been very helpful."

Patty hurried to get her books before Castle and Beckett could get away. There was a stack Nikki Heat books and an even larger stack of Derrick Storm books. Castle patiently signed them all before he and Beckett left.

"You've got quite a fan there," Beckett said as they drove off.

Castle laughed. "At least she didn't ask me to sign her chest."

Beckett next pulled up in front of a peculiar dwelling belonging to George Batton., a house built into the side of a small hill and almost entirely covered by earth. There were solar panels on the slope and a small wind turbine on the summit. Beckett showed him her badge and explained the reason for their visit.

"This is a very interesting place, Mr. Batton," Castle commented.

"George enthusiastically launched into a speech he had obviously given many times before. "An earth covered house is the perfect way to live. The earth is a great insulator. Without any heating or cooling, the house maintains a temperature of about sixty degrees year round. I get power from solar panels. The wind turbine charges batteries for when the sun isn't shining. I have my own well for water. I live in complete harmony with the environment."

"What would drilling Glen Warren's project do to that harmony?" Castle asked.

"According to Perk oil, nothing. But I don't believe that. They use a lot of water for fracking it has to come from somewhere. They use chemicals they don't have to disclose. Who knows what they'll do to the water table. They're exempt from the Clean Water Act. I live underground. If they put in an injection well around here somewhere for their wastewater, it could cause earthquakes. I don't think we should be using fossil fuels anyway, it causes global warming. But if we do, we shouldn't get them by fracking."

"Mr. Batton," Beckett asked, "do you ever go into New York?"

"Pretty regularly. I give seminars on earth covered homes."

"Were you there Sunday night?"

George regarded her quizzically. "Am I a suspect?"

Beckett gave him a casual smile. "Mr. Batton, I'm a homicide detective. To me, everyone's a suspect."

"I can vouch for that," Castle added.

"I was in New York on Sunday but I took a train out of Penn Station at 3:45. There are several riders on that train who know me. You can check if you need to."

"Thank you Mr. Batton. Now can you think of anyone who might want Glen Warren dead?" Beckett asked.

"Possibly every property owner in in Phaedra." George told her. "Good luck, Detective. You'll probably need it."

Beckett called the next three interviews, sighing when she got nothing but voice mail. "I don't know about you, Castle said, but it's been a long time since those waffles and I'm starved. Let's go eat somewhere and then you can try again."

Beckett agreed and Castle relied again on his phone. He located a Mexican Grill with good reviews in the center of Phaedra. When He and Beckett arrived, it was almost three o'clock in the afternoon and they had the place almost to themselves. They shared freshly made chips and salsa, fajitas, still sizzling when they arrived at the table, and fried ice cream for dessert. Snow had begun to fall while they were eating. It swirled in the air, cutting visibility, and rapidly filled the road. Beckett tried the people she had previously been unable to reach, with no further luck, so she and Castle decided to return to the Hearths.

The drive was treacherous, with the car nearly sliding off the road several times. The trip seemed to stretch for hours. When they finally reached the B & B, cold and wet, hot cocoa was being served in the parlor. They gratefully warmed their hands around the steaming cups, while standing in front of a fireplace twice the size of the one in their room.

Feeling somewhat renewed they returned to their quarters and Rick restarted the fire. Kate borrowed a quilt from the bed to lay before the hearth. Borrowing some pillows as well, Rick stretched out with Kate leaning against him.

"Anything you want to look at for the case?" Rick asked.

Kate straddled him, framing his face with her hands. "Not a thing."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Wrapping a quilt around herself, Kate looked out the window. The parking lot hadn't been plowed, nor had the road beyond it. If she got something besides voice mail, she might be able to conduct her interviews by phone, but she preferred to look people in the eye and read their body language.

Rick rolled over and sat up sleepily. "Something wrong?"

"It looks like we're snowed in, at least for the moment."

"Maybe it's a sign from the universe for you to come back to bed."

Kate laughed. "Maybe."

Bringing herself and her quilt, Kate fit herself under Rick's arm and snuggled into his body, one arm across his chest.

"Feel anything you like?" Rick asked.

"Just getting warm," Kate answered.

"Let me help you with that."

Kate could feel the heat as Rick pulled her beneath him. Hands on either side of her head, his mouth descended to claim hers. She could feel his body pushing against her and she arched to meet it. Encircling his body with her arms, she swept her fingertips up and down his broad back. Rick's hands reached under Kate, cupping her and pulling her against him. They were one, moving, reaching, for the next level, and the next. Sensory input became sensory overload. The limit was reached and they held each other in their own quilted cavern.

Scraping sounds floated up from the parking lot. The plows had arrived in the lot from a road already cleared. "I think it's time to go to work, Castle," Beckett said.

Castle sat up, planting a quick kiss on her hair. "It was great while it lasted."

Stopping to fortify themselves with a hot breakfast, Castle and Beckett began the task of removing almost a foot of snow from the car. Castle's long arms made the job easier and with the two of them working, they were on their way before becoming completely frozen. Beckett had called ahead and finally talked to Joelle Sullivan. She was waiting for them to arrive.

Joelle was an organic farmer and looked like one. Her hands were calloused and her face toughened by the sun. She invited them in and put huge mugs of steaming coffee before them without asking. Castle breathed in the steam as Beckett began the questioning. "Ms Sullivan, we understand that you were opposed to the drilling project that Glen Warren was pushing at the church."

"That's an understatement, Detective," Joelle answered. "I need water to irrigate my crops. Fracking uses a lot of it. It would either take it away from me or make it more expensive. Worse, if it contaminated the water table, I might not be able to label my crops as organic. I service some of the most high end restaurants in New York. I'd lose my customers and probably my farm."

"You said you sell to restaurants in New York. Do you go into the city to do that?" Beckett asked, trying to keep a casual tone.

"Sometimes I do, when I negotiate contracts."

"Were you there Sunday night?"Beckett continued.

"Detective, if that's your way of asking me if I killed Glen Warren, I can tell you that I was in New York but I never saw the jackass. I can't afford the prices of New York hotels. I was staying with a friend and I'd be happy to give you her number."

"Thank you, Ms. Sullivan," Beckett told her. "I'd appreciate that."

Beckett called Joelle's friend, Billie Martin from the car and confirmed Joelle's alibi and it was on to visit Parley Safer. Parley never stopped moving. His eyes darted from place to place and his hand stroked everything around him. "Of course I'm against fracking!" he exclaimed. Any sane person would be. You should see all the stuff on the internet. Gas flames coming out of kitchen sinks. Earthquakes. Radioactive water. If someone killed Glen Warren they deserve a medal for saving the planet."

"I understand how you feel," Castle told him. "I want to stand up and do something about it. Tell me, what do you do?"

"I go to protests," Parley said with pride. "Lots of them."

"I live in New York," Castle told him. "Any protests there?"

"Sometimes. You ought to come."

"I'd like to. Were there any Sunday?" Castle asked.

"No. There was a good one up by Woodstock. You should have seen it! They had bands and everything, like the '70's or something. I got a t shirt. Parley showed Castle his crudely printed treasure."

"That's great!" Castle exclaimed. "I should get something like that!"

Beckett stood to leave. "I think that's all we need, Mr. Safer. Thank you." Castle quickly trailed her out the door.

"Fun little guy," Castle commented as he and Beckett got in the car.

"He's your soul mate, Castle. He believes everything he reads on the internet too."

"I don't!" Castle protested.

"No," Beckett said, "just CIA conspiracies, Bigfoot, ghosts, and gray men."

"But those are true!"

Beckett grinned and rolled her eyes.

Buddy Palfry was mad and didn't care who knew it. "That SOB Sandy Sawyer lied to us!" He informed Beckett. "Someone should arrest him for fraud."

"How about Glen Warren, Mr. Palfry?" Beckett asked.

"He just drank the Koolaid." Palfry answered as Castle suppressed a smirk. "He's from the city. I don't think he really knew what was going on."

"Do you ever get to the city, Mr. Palfry?" Beckett inquired.

"My mother lives there. I see her."

"Were you there Sunday night?"

"Detective, I was in New York, with my mother on Sunday night. We watched that show about the phony psychic together. You can ask her."

Beckett tried to do just that, Buddy's mother seemed to have a problem hearing her on the phone, so she asked Esposito to go see her.

"Castle," I think we're done here," Beckett said.

"It's early, we could go back to the B & B, get our stuff and head back to the city, maybe look for a venue or two along the way," Castle suggested.

"Fine," Beckett agreed.

The ride back to New York was a little slower than Castle might have hoped. Some of the roads had not been well cleared and he and Beckett had to make a couple of unscheduled stops. One of the stops was serendipitous. They discovered a beautiful rock formation overlooking a small lake surrounded by woods. The lake was was frozen, but Beckett could imagine it a sparkling blue and surrounded by fall foliage. There was an open wooden structure nearby, containing wooden tables, benches, and barbecue grills that might provide an emergency retreat for guests in case of rain. Castle took pictures and emailed them to his computer.

It was eleven o'clock when they finally reached the loft and dropped their bags by the front door. Kate rolled her head and rotated her shoulders. "You OK?" Rick asked.

"Yeah," Kate answered, "just stiff."

Rick handed her a glass of wine and began to gently massage her shoulders. "I can take care of that," he said, kissing the sensitive spot behind her ear, "I know just how to get the kinks out.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Kate's cell phone chimed. Sleepily, she looked at a text, put the phone back on the bed stand, and burrowed back under the covers. "What was that?" Rick asked.

"It was Espo. He talked to Buddy Palfry's mother yesterday. She confirmed his alibi."

"Is a mother a reliable alibi?" Rick asked.

"Not necessarily," Kate answered, "but at the moment it means we don't have a solid suspect."

"Maybe we'll have to look somewhere besides Phaedra," Rick suggested.

"Later," Kate said turning to face him. "Right now I'd rather look at you."

Rick grinned. "I can live with that."

Kate traced the lines of Rick's face with her fingertips before using them to comb his sleep mussed hair.

Rick thrust his fingers into Kate's hair in response, pulling her face toward his. For a moment, they were forehead to forehead, just feeling each others' presence. Their lips met softly, with sweetness. Rick stroked Kate's skin, warmed by the bed covers and contact with his body. Kate moved against him as his touch awakened her intimate sensations. He answered her motion with his own, each loving touch demanding more. Their joining was perfect, as if they had been born to complete each other. Passion rose higher and higher until it washed over them like a flood to recede, leaving them entwined in perfect contentment.

"Beckett," Castle said when they had finally gone in search of caffeine, "what if the murder has nothing to do with Phaedra?"

"What are you thinking, Castle?"

"We looked at people who might have been upset at Glen Warren, but we didn't really look at Glen Warren."

"You have a point," Beckett agreed, taking her phone from her pocket. Beckett made a quick call to Esposito to start the paperwork to obtain Warren's financials and phone records.

At the 12th, while she was waiting for Warren's financials, Beckett researched the man himself. Castle busied himself researching the AJ church.

Glen Warren had quite a history with AJ. He had started out helping with accounting in his local church. He got noticed as a fundraiser by the regional officials and worked himself up to supervision of the financial affairs of all of the AJ churches in the Northeast United States. He hadn't gone either to a faith based college or a seminary As far as Beckett could tell, his rise was due entirely to financial success without any signs of moral concerns. In addition to his wife Lois, he had two daughters, Cara and Danae and a granddaughter Melissa by Cara and her husband Jeff Jones, a pastor at an AJ church in New Jersey.

The AJ church had originally been part of another denomination. It had broken off in the early 1900's due to what it felt was unfair exclusion from the church of certain elements of society. After getting past racial prejudices in the 1960's, it was known for its open arms toward prospective members and its support of the neighborhoods around its churches. From all appearances, Glen Warren's conflict with the people of Phaedra would have been no more popular with the church hierarchy than it was with the people themselves.

When they arrived, Ryan perused Warren's phone records. One name jumped out. There were many conversations of considerable length with a number belonging to a Mary Perkins. Research by Esposito found Mary Perkins to be a major partner in Perks Oil. Beckett and Castle called on her at Perks' corporate offices on Park Avenue.

"I don't know how I can help you, Detective," Mary Perkins said. "I barely knew Glen Warren."

"That's interesting, Ms. Perkins," Beckett commented. "Do you always have at least one twenty minute call a day with someone you hardly know?'

Mary paled. "All right. I knew him, but I don't know anything about his murder."

"Where were you Sunday night?"

"I was at home, with my husband."

"We'll be checking on that, Ms. Perkins," Beckett told her.

Beckett and Castle paid a visit to the night doorman of Mary Perkins' building. He confirmed that she had been in all night Sunday.

"You know," Castle said, "Mary probably thinks you're going to be talking to her husband. I bet she's sweating bullets."

"She should be," Beckett said. "She and Glen were having an affair. It's obvious."

"That still doesn't give us a killer, where to next?" Castle asked.

"We need to know more about the church and about Glen. We go see Pastor Jones in New Jersey."

"Great!" Castle exclaimed. "Another road trip!"

Pastor Jones' church was in a tiny seaside community on the New Jersey shore. The town of Haven Beach had been right in the path of Hurricane Sandy, but the church had been spared, something considered a miracle by the congregation. Up a series of stairs from a chilly but beautiful beach, the picturesque building was the perfect setting for a romance novel – or a wedding. The church was a hive of activity providing support to the surrounding community, but Jones was willing to take a few minutes to talk about the death of his father-in-law. He extended a hand and urged Beckett and Castle to call him Jeff.

"Detective," he told Beckett, "I really can't tell you about my father-in-law's private life. Gossip is strongly discouraged in this church. I can tell you that his duties involved a lot of travel and that he spent a great deal of time doing his job. If you two want to make your trip more productive, you can help us assemble some relief boxes. We have an assembly line going out in the gathering area."

Castle and Beckett looked at each other. Castle raised an eyebrow and Beckett nodded. They spent the next couple of hours loading boxes with soap, shampoo, combs, and other articles needed by people in temporary quarters. Beckett and Castle also kept their ears open for anything that might be relevant to the case. It was inevitable that there would be some discussion of Glen Warren's death. Pursuant to church teachings, nothing derogatory was actually said, but the tone in which Warren was discussed was not the most affectionate.

"I don't think that people thought much of Glen Warren," Beckett observed on the drive back to New York."

"I noticed that too," Castle told her.

"Rick," what would you think about getting married on the beach in front of Jones' church?"

"Kate, if you want a beach front wedding, we can use the house in the Hamptons. We wouldn't have to reserve it and it has a great view of the ocean."

Kate looked disturbed. "Yeah but..."

"I brought other women there," Rick finished.

"And..."

"I spent the summer there with Gina."

Kate nodded.

"OK, if you want to get married in Haven Beach, it's fine with me, but there are closer beaches that might be easier for our friends, Far Rockaway, maybe."

Kate nodded again. "We can look."

It was early evening when Rick and Kate returned to the city. After a quick stop by the precinct to check if any new clues had been uncovered, they headed for Rick's favorite deli for a meal to bring back to the loft. Kate was particularly attracted by the sliced roast beef. It was lean and almost bright red in the middle. Rick bought a couple of salads and some miniature pastries to go with it. With a trip to the beach still in mind, they spread their bounty on a blanket on the floor.

"Kate," Rick told her,"I was surprised that you wanted the meat so red. It's not the way you like your burgers."

"Sometimes," Kate whispered, nipping at his earlobe, "I want something I can get my teeth into."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Kate was still drowsing as Rick brought in his tray with the newspaper, the lattes, and some pastries left over from their floor picnic. He sat on the edge of the bed looking at her. Her eyes opened under his gaze. "I gave you a hickey," she noticed.

Rick smiled. "You were very enthusiastic last night. Was it the beach or the roast beef? I'll want to remember."

"Neither one," Kate answered. "I didn't want to think about today."

"What's today?"

"Glen Warren's funeral. We need to watch who comes and goes. Funerals are always hard for me."

"I can understand that, considering that you were shot at one."

"It's not only that," Kate explained. "Ever since my mother …."

Rick laid the tray aside and stroked her hair. "I get it. You want to celebrate life."

"It's a frightening thought, but I think Lanie might be right about our shared brain," Kate said, reaching up to touch Rick's face.

"Sharing your brain, or anything else," Rick murmured, "doesn't scare me at all."

Smiling, Kate climbed onto Rick's lap, her long legs wrapped around his waist. Hands framing his face, her lips met his. Life came with a jolt of urgency. Hands buried in Kate's hair, Rick deepened the kiss. They struggled to feel more of each other, falling over on the bed, the length of their bodies meeting. Kate was wild, her hands and mouth searching. She moaned as Rick brought her to him, thrashing, until nothing remained on the bed but the two of them. Kate screamed in exultation as the moment came and Rick quieted her scream with a kiss.

Beckett and Castle sat in the back of the sanctuary Glen Warren's funeral in a New York City AJ church. Beckett really wanted to hold Castle's hand, but struggled to maintain her professionalism. She sat up straight, now and then running her fingers over her father's watch. They were both watching the crowd. Lois Warren sat in the front pew weeping noisily into a handkerchief. Her daughters, along with Jeff Jones sat dry-eyed beside her. Some of the pews appeared to be filled with financial types, comfortable in their expensive suits and Italian shoes. Apparent by their familiarity with the church and their comfort in the pews, the rest of the attendees seemed to be church members present to support the family. Warren's assistant Rita Weller was also in attendance, but showed no obvious signs of grief. She looked to be doing her best to get through an unpleasant duty.

The local pastor conducted the service. His eulogy concerned Warren's service to the church. Mentions of any love for Warren were noticeably absent. When the time came for mourners to give their own remembrances of Warren, they concerned his ability to raise funds for good works. Castle took notice that no one mentioned Warren doing any good works of his own.

After the final hymn was sung and the benediction given, Castle noticed that Lois Warren was still sobbing. "The lady doth protest too much, methinks," he whispered to Beckett. Beckett nodded her assent.

The caravan to the cemetery was followed by a funeral dinner in the church fellowship hall. Most of the expensive suits had vanished and most of the remaining attendees were quiet except to give their condolences to the family. Rita Weller had stayed as well. Lois Warren picked at her food and swiped at her eyes now and then.

At the end of the meal, Beckett took Rita Weller aside and asked if she could have a few minutes of her time. Rita, Beckett, and Castle sat down in an empty church classroom. "Ms. Weller," Beckett asked, "What can you tell me about Glen Warren?"

"He worked very hard at his job and he was good at it." Rita answered.

"How about his family? Did they get along?"

Rita looked nervous. "Detective, I really can't tell you about things like that. I only saw him at work."

"Than can you tell me this," Beckett persevered, "can you think of anyone who might want to hurt him besides the opponents of the oil drilling project in Phaedra?"

Rita hesitated, but then shook her head.

"Ms. Weller," Castle asked. "Was Warren good at remembering things like birthdays and anniversaries, or did you do that for him?'

"Mr Castle," Rita answered, "Glen Warren was a very busy man. I helped him in any way I could."

Beckett and Castle returned to the 12th to fill in the murder board with everything that they could, including suspects with soft alibis. "Beckett,' Castle said, "what about Lois Warren? We don't know where she was when her husband was killed. If Glen really was having an affair with Mary Perkins and Lois found out about it, that's as good a motive as any."

"We can check if she has an alibi, Castle, but all we have right now is pure conjecture. We're going to need evidence."

"You can get it," Castle told her, squeezing her hand, "that's one thing you're very good at."

Martha and Alexis were both at the loft when Kate and Rick returned that night, having met for an early dinner. They were almost head to head, exclaiming over wedding magazines spread out on the table.

"Kate, look at this dress!" Alexis exclaimed over a frothy confection. "It looks like something out of a fairytale. You'd look beautiful in it." Kate looked at the picture, absently wondering where she'd hide her gun.

"Look you two," Martha interjected, "if you haven't come up with a venue yet, I've got some ideas. How about a cruise around the harbor?"

"I like that," Rick said. "If Kate changes her mind, she can't get away."

"I could always dive overboard," Kate teased. "I'm a pretty good swimmer."

"I'd bring you back to shore," Rick said."I've done it before.

Remembering her rescue from an underwater car, Kate agreed, "Yes you have," and pressed a kiss to his lips. Alexis turned away slightly with a look of "ewww" on her face, Martha just smiled. Kate and Rick were treated to a barrage of ideas until Alexis returned to her apartment and Martha to her room for the night.

"Would you every really try to get away from our wedding?" Rick asked as he and Kate stood encircled in each others' arms.

"No way!" Kate assured him. "You are stuck with me, always."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Martha tapped at the door. It was quiet enough so that she was pretty sure that she hadn't caught her son and Katherine in flagrante. "What?" Rick called sleepily.

"Gina's on the phone, something about a book signing." Martha replied.

"At six in the morning? I need a new publisher," Rick complained, pulling on his shorts and t-shirt. Rick opened the door and took the phone from Martha.

"What was that about?" Kate asked when he finished his call.

"One of Gina's other authors got sick and canceled out at a Black Pawn promotional event tomorrow. Gina wants me there to sign books and graphic novels. She called early to catch me before I," Rick made air quotes, "lose yourself chasing after Beckett on some case."

"She knows you," Kate commented with just a hint of jealousy.

"She doesn't know how I can just lose myself in you," Rick told her, climbing back in bed and smoothing Kate's hair away from her face.

Kate thrust her hands under his shirt. "You need to lose this again." Shirt quickly tossed aside, Kate ran her hands over his chest, enjoying the silky feel of the light sprinkling of hair. As she was exploring his body, Rick explored hers, first with his fingertips and then his mouth. He was lost. The room vanished in a haze leaving nothing but Kate, permeating all his senses. She drew him in and was above him. The need overcame him for more of her, all of her. He caressed her as she moved and with each touch, her need grew as well. Sensation built inside Kate, reaching from her inner core to the tips of her fingers, until it finally escaped its bounds and she lay against Rick, as he lightly stroked her back and kissed her hair.

Beckett had ordered traffic footage both from around the corporate offices of the AJ church and Lois Warren's apartment. Checking with the DMV, she determined that Lois drove a blue Malibu. It could have been problematical if they couldn't get an angle on the plate, Malibus being one of the more popular cars on the road, but she asked Ryan to use his considerable skills to look for it. She asked Esposito to dig up anything he could on any financial dealings that Lois might have had that were separate from Glen's. Beckett and Castle made a repeat visit to Lois Warren's East Village apartment. Beckett made a point of not calling first.

The tears were gone. Lois Warren's make-up was sparse but unsmeared. Her hair was neatly styled and there were no shadows under her eyes. She was slightly taken aback and not pleased to see Beckett and Castle. "Detective Beckett, Mr. Castle, what are you doing here?"

"We had more questions, Mrs. Warren," Beckett told her, "may we come in?"

With some hesitation, Lois ushered them through the door into the modest living room. "Mrs. Warren," Beckett said, after they were seated, "I know it's hard at a time like this, but there are questions I have to ask. Were there any problems between you and your husband?"

"All couples have problems, Detective," Lois answered. "Glen and I managed."

"Is there any chance your husband was having an affair?" Beckett asked softly.

"No!" Lois replied indignantly. "My husband was a good man. He wouldn't do anything like that. I think you better leave now." Lois stood and pointed to the door.

"I'm sorry Mrs. Warren," Beckett said as they were leaving.

"Sorry," Castle echoed as he walked behind Beckett.

"She is so lying!" Castle exclaimed as soon as they reached the sidewalk.

"I agree," Beckett told him. "Let's go see if she really was at the hospital on Sunday night."

Beckett and Castle were pleasantly surprised to find that Lois had been working a shift with Greg McClintock, who was more than happy to answer their questions. "She was here," he told them, but she did get a meal break. She was gone more than an hour. I had to cover for her."

"She absolutely did it!" Castle insisted as he and Beckett made their way back to the 12th.

"We still have to prove it, Castle."

"Yo!" Esposito called as Beckett and Castle entered the bullpen. "Got something. Lois Warren made several payments to a Jack Murtry, a private investigator."

"Now why," Castle asked with a smile, "would a woman who was sure of a faithful husband hire a private investigator?"

Beckett returned his smile. "Let's find out."

Jack Murtry was not upscale. His small office was stuffed with file cabinets and a scarred desk. He regarded Beckett with undisguised appreciation. "What can I do for you, Detective?" he asked. Beckett smiled invitingly while Castle tried his best to suppress a glower.

"I need to know what you were doing for Lois Warren."

"Detective, I maintain confidentiality for my clients," Murtry replied.

"Mr. Murtry, this client is involved in a homicide. An obstruction charge would not do your license any good. I would advise you to cooperate."

"It's nothing unusual Detective, Lois Warren thought her husband might be cheating and hired me to find out."  
"Was he?" Castle asked.

"Hell yes!" Murtry answered.

"Mary Perkins?" Castle suggested.

"Got it in one," Murtry replied.

"I'll need any records you have of that, Mr. Murtry," Beckett told him.

"Anything for the NYPD, Detective."

"Hey!" Ryan called as Beckett and Castle returned to the 12th with smug looks on their faces, "I got something on the traffic footage."

"Blue Malibu?" Beckett asked

"No, Silver Elantra." Ryan replied, "belongs to Warren's daughter, Danae."

"Something else," Esposito added. "Danae Warren is also one of the beneficiaries on her father's insurance.

"Bring her in," Beckett told him.

Beckett and Castle sat across the table from Danae Warren in the box. "Ms. Warren," Beckett said, "your car was spotted near your father's office around the time he was killed. What were you doing there?"

"I wasn't there. I wasn't driving my car that night."

"Who was?" Beckett asked.

Danae remained silent.

"Who was?" Beckett repeated, her voice rising as she leaned over the table.

Danae continued to say nothing.

"Danae, you live in a crappy little apartment with four roommates. You barely make tuition. You are supposed to get a hundred thousand dollars from your father's insurance. I think you went to his office on Sunday night, you picked up that cross and you killed him!"

"No!" Danae screamed back at Beckett. "I wasn't there that night. I was home in my crappy little apartment and you can ask my four roommates."

"So who was driving your car that night?"

"I'm not going to tell you," Danae answered defiantly.

"Fine," Beckett told her. "you can think about it in holding."

"She's covering for someone," Castle said. "Probably her mother."

"We'll impound the car and print it," Beckett said. "Maybe we'll get lucky. We'll leave her in holding for the night and check her alibi tomorrow. It will give her some time to think about what she's doing."

"Espo," Beckett asked "who else is on that insurance policy?"

"Lois Warren, Cara Warren, and Cara's daughter Melissa."

"How old is Melissa?" Beckett asked.

"Two," Esposito answered.

"That's one suspect we can eliminate," Castle quipped. "She couldn't lift the murder weapon."

Beckett rolled her eyes. "Excellent detective work, Castle."

"Any venue you want to check out before we go home, Kate?" Rick asked.

"Not unless you want a night wedding," Kate answered.

"That wouldn't be a bad idea," Rick said. "Shorter wait until we get to the good stuff."

"You don't think we've gotten to the good stuff?" Kate asked, looking hurt.

"Oh, we've gotten to more than I could ever have dreamed, and I'm a very creative dreamer," Rick assured her. "But you're more addictive than chocolate. I think I may have to spend my whole life getting enough."

"Home?" Kate asked.

"Let's hurry."

A/N OK, so I shamelessly stole from Nathan's interview from the TV Guide photo shoot. Who better to get an understanding of Castle from?


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Someone had come into the loft at six A.M.. Castle wondered if his mother was doing a walk of shame until he heard the light rap on the bedroom door. "Dad," Alexis called softly.

Kate's eyes fluttered open with a questioning look. "Go back to sleep," Castle whispered. "It's Alexis."

Wrapping himself in a robe, Castle opened the door. "Alexis, what's going on?" he asked.

"Dad, I have a problem. Buttons is moving out of the apartment and I can't keep it by myself.'"

"Do you want to move back to the dorm?" Castle asked.

"No," Alexis told him. "We signed a lease and I need to honor it, but I don't make enough from work study to afford it."

"There are a few things we can do," Castle mused. "I can help you with the rent until you find another roommate or until you sublet it and move back to the dorm or I could buy out the lease and you could move back to the dorm now. What do you want to do?"

"I think I want to get another roommate. It would be really hard to go back to the dorm after having my own place and I don't want to put any more on you than I have to," Alexis told him.

"OK," Castle agreed. "You let me know what you need and I'll put the money in your account."

Alexis hugged him and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Dad. Say hi to Kate for me."

"What happened?" Kate asked as Rick peeled off his robe and rejoined her under the covers.

"Alexis says hi. It was the old 'my roommate is moving out and I can't afford my apartment problem,'" Rick told her.

Kate laughed ruefully,"I've been there, although it was more break up than move out."

Rick echoed her laughter. "Me too. Pity that when my mother had a break up she had to move back in. One nice thing about a long road trip is that we can really be alone."

"Is Martha here now?" Kate asked.

"I don't know," Rick answered. "She had some kind of a date last night. I never heard her come in. But," he said grinning, "we were busy with matters of our own."

"We were," Kate agreed. "We could pick those up again before she comes in or wakes up."

Rick kissed her nose. "Good plan. Where were we?"

Kate put a hand at the back of Rick's neck, threading her fingers into his hair and brought her lips toward his. "Right about here."

Rick's response was immediate. He returned her kiss deeply, pulling her tightly against him. Kate could feel his arousal against the center of her femininity and moved against him, feeling the growth of his response. She cried out as he moved his attention to the scar, the remembrance of the first confession of his love and her survival to receive it. She needed that love and she took it, bringing him to her. Kate gave as she received, until filled to overflowing, she rested in Rick's arms.

Beckett looked up from her last phone call at her desk at the 12th. "Castle," she reported, "every one of Danae's roommates confirms that she was home Sunday night and two of them say she lent her car to someone, but they don't know who. I'm going to have to release her."

"Beckett," Ryan called. "Traffic cam shows the Elantra parked near Lois Warren's apartment."

"Lois probably borrowed Danae's car, left the hospital on her lunch break and killed Glen," Castle said. "You've got her, Beckett."

"Send some uniforms to pick her up," Beckett told Ryan.

Lois Warren looked sad and defeated as she sat across from Beckett and Castle in the box. "Mrs. Warren," Beckett began. "An Elantra belonging to your daughter Danae was found parked outside your apartment. That same car was at the murder scene. You were absent from the hospital on Sunday night for over an hour. You hired a private investigator who confirmed your suspicions that your husband had been cheating on you. You left the hospital, you drove Danae's car, you went to your husband's office and you killed him."

Lois began to weep, her tears appearing genuine. "All right. I killed Glen. I found out that he was cheating on me and I killed him."

Lois Warren was led off to holding, Castle brought in lunch and Beckett began the mounds of paperwork required to close the case. Cara Warren approached Beckett's desk. Detective Beckett," she said in a shaky voice just above a whisper, "you arrested my mother for killing my father."

Beckett rose to meet her. "I'm very sorry," she intoned softly, "I had to."

"She didn't do it." Cara said, her voice shaking even more.

Castle rose, giving Cara his chair. Beckett sat almost knee to knee with her. "She confessed, Mrs. Jones," Beckett told her as gently as she could.

"She didn't do it." Cara insisted.

"How do you know?" Castle asked.

Cara swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Because I did it. I killed my father."

Beckett led Cara to interrogation to take her statement while Castle looked on. "I brought Melissa, my daughter to the city to visit with her grandparents and my sister," Cara told them. "My father was gone almost all the time. I'm not very good at parallel parking my minivan, so Danae lent me her car for driving around the city. Melissa and I were staying with my parents. I found the report from Mr. Murtry, the private investigator my mother hired. I called mother at the hospital and she came home to try to calm me down, but as soon as she got there I left to confront my father. My mother couldn't come after me because she was watching Melissa. I never meant to hurt my father. I just told him I couldn't understand how he could do all the things he was doing, especially as part of the church and with me married to Jeff. The fracking was bad enough. Almost no one I know in the church liked the project. But to push the project because he was cheating on my mother! It was too much. I grabbed the cross and I put it in his face. He just laughed at me, at the cross. I hit him with it. God help me I should have called the police, but I was afraid. I wiped the cross and left it there by my father and went back to my mother. I didn't even tell her what I did. She didn't know he was dead until the morning. She must have figured out what I did and confessed to protect me and my family."

A subdued Beckett finished the work on the case in time to accompany Castle to the event for Black Pawn. The scene was familiar. Women lined up, sometimes with shaking hands or tears in their eyes to get their books signed by Castle. Rick smiled at each person who came to him, patiently signing books and complimenting dresses or shirts or hair, making each fan feel special. Kate was transported back in time.

"This is a very special place," Kate told Rick as the event wound down.

"Yes," Rick agreed "it's where you came to see me after you came back from being shot. We talked on the swings across the street."

"More than that," Kate told him. "It's where I met you."

"No," Rick protested. "We met at a book party in a hotel, when you came to question me about our first case."

"We met way before that," Kate explained, "about eleven years ago, right here. I stood in line for an hour to get you to sign a book. I had all your books. They helped get me through my mother's murder. There were so many people I don't think you even saw my face. But you were kind and you smiled at me. I think I was already in love with you. It was really upsetting when you acted like such a jerk when I came to you about that first case we did together. It took a long time to see the man behind the class clown."

"I'm glad you finally saw him," Rick told her, cupping her face in his hand.

"So am I," Kate told him, covering his hand with her own. "And I know where I want to get married: at the swings, where I told you about my wall and where you proposed to me. I want to have the reception right here, and if it's raining, we can get married here too. The swings, this place, they're ours.

Happy tears glistened in Kate's eyes as Rick sealed their agreement with a kiss.

Finis

A/N When Beckett mentioned Aunt Theresa in Limelight I couldn't resist, so my next story will be "Aunt Theresa." Aunt Theresa will discover the body and we'll go from there. For those who never read my story, "Growth," Pi was the murder victim, which is why Alexis was living with Buttons Dutton. It looks like Pi will be gone in cannon as well now, so we may have a convergence of universes. Whether we have a full convergence or not, "Aunt Theresa" will start after Limelight and is coming soon to a computer near you. Thank you for all the reviews. They make my day.


End file.
